[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47029-47030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18014]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Intent ot Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
To Conduct Environmental Scoping for Improvements To the O'Hare 
International Airport, in Chicago, IL

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Issuance of A Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement and to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings.

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SUMMARY: This NOI announces the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) 
intention to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and to conduct 
public scoping meetings for a number of potential modernization and 
improvement initiatives at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Due 
both to the anticipated high level of interest in matters pertaining to 
O'Hare International Airport, and a desire to

[[Page 47030]]

fully accommodate potentially interested persons, agencies, and other 
entities, the FAA will conduct two (2) agency scoping meetings and two 
(2) public scoping meetings. The agency scoping meetings will be 
conducted as follows: Monday, August 19, 2002 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 
the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) Auditorium 
Conference Room located in the IDOT Offices at 2300 South Dirksen 
Parkway in Springfield, Illinois; and on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 from 
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Metcalfe Federal Building's Lake Ontario 
Conference Room (12th floor) at 77 West Jackson Boulevard, in Chicago, 
Illinois. The public scoping meetings will be conducted as follows: 
Wednesday, August 21, 2002, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Fountain Blue 
Banquets facility located at 2300 South Mannheim Road, in Des Plaines, 
Illinois; and on Thursday, August 22, 2002, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in 
the Avalon Banquets facility located at 1905 East Higgins Road, in Elk 
Grove Village, Illinois.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael W. MacMullen, Airports 
Environmental Program Manager, Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago 
Airports District Office, 2300 East Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 
60018. Mr. MacMullen can be contracted by phone at (847) 294-7522 
(voice) and at (847) 294-7046 (facsimile).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has decided to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) addressing specific improvements 
at and adjacent to O'Hare International Airport. As presently 
conceived, the runway construction component of the O'Hare 
Modernization Program would involve: a new North Runway 9-27, a 
relocation of existing Runway 18-36 (Arrival Runway 9R-27L), a 
relocation of existing Runway 14L-32R (arrival Runway 9L-27R), a 
relocation of existing Runway 14R-32L (South Runway 9-27), an extension 
of existing Runway 9R-27L, and an extension of existing Runway 9L-27R. 
Overall, the proposed project would result in O'Hare International 
Airport ultimately having a total of eight runways: six parallel east-
west runways, and two parallel runways oriented in the northeast-
southwest direction. In addition, the O'Hare Modernization Program 
would also potentially involve relocation of some or all existing 
navigation aids, placement of new navigation aids, revision to existing 
air traffic control procedures, provision of a new western access to 
the Airport, additional terminal facilities, and various roadway and 
rail line relocations. Finally, the potential acquisition of 
approximately 539 housing units, 109 businesses, and 433 acres of 
property outside of the Airport's present boundaries is also 
envisioned. The purpose and need for the above-identified improvements 
will be presented and reviewed in FAA's forthcoming EIS. In addition, 
reasonable alternatives, including the ``no-build,'' use of other 
existing/proposed airports, alternative O'Hare configurations, and a 
different number of O'Hare runways alternatives will all be considered.
    Federal, State, local agencies, and other interested parties, are 
invited to make comments and suggestions in order to ensure that the 
full range of environmental issues related to the above-identified 
matters are identified. Copies of a scoping document providing 
additional detail can be obtained by contacting the FAA informational 
contact listed above. The FAA informational contact person identified 
above should also receive any scoping comments and suggestions by no 
later than close of business on Friday, September 13, 2002.

    Dated: Issued in Des Plaines, Illinois on July 5, 2002.
Philip M. Smithmeyer,
Manager, Chicago Airports District Office, Great Lakes Region.
[FR Doc. 02-18014 Filed 7-16-02; 8:45 am]
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